Vocalist extraordinaire Patti Austin has enjoyed a long, distinguished career in jazz, pop, and rhythm and blues. She recorded for CTI in the 70's and later for GRP in the 90's. Critics and fans gush over her beautifully controlled yet passionate performances, but I mainly come in praise of one year's worth of work. After being featured on Quincy Jones' Sounds... And Stuff Like That!, Austin signed to his Qwest Records in 1981. The relationship would last most of the following decade, but the initial fruits of the union were stellar. First, Austin performed on The Dude, an album issued under Jones' name, then, late in 1981, she released her own Every Home Should Have One. Both albums are very good - slick but soulful - and until recently were the essential Patti Austin records.

Rhino's The Very Best of Patti Austin changed all that. This amazingly well put-together set begins with Austin's rare 1969 hit, "The Family Tree," then proceeds to collect highlights from both CTI and Qwest, including her #1 hit duet with James Ingram, "Baby Come To Me." In particular, Patti's Very Best picks up the best of her three contributions to The Dude and the three best cuts from Every Home Should Have One. Plus, it's chronologically presented with track-by-track commentary by the diva herself - you gotta love that!

Austin has been saddled with intrusive overproduction throughout her entire career (why can't these guys just let her sing?), and this makes The Very Best of Patti Austin an excellent choice for prudent consumers. Still, devoted fans will also appreciate Columbia's CTI retrospective (Best Of Patti Austin, 1994) and GRP's Ultimate Collection (1995), which respectively survey her career before and after her collaboration with Quincy Jones. In addition, seek out Austin's 1988 Qwest swan song, The Real Me, a collection of pop and jazz standards featuring the barn-burner "I Can Cook Too," grievously omitted from the otherwise excellent Very Best. [top of page]